Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book reminded me so much of Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, it has the same vibes. The story was inventive with some great figurative imagery related to the heart, love and soul mates. It was smart and so interesting with an amazing world building that you can see with your own eyes because the artist has done such a great work into making the story alive, you are submerged in each panel with colors and art so vibrant and you don't want to miss a thing.

The story is about this cursed island called Envecor where its inhabitants are doomed to wear their hearts outside their bodies also this curse unable them to die, change or have children until they find their soul mates, so they could become mortals, but there are those who love being immortal and in order to remain this way, they send Heart Hunters like our heroine Psyche who is paid to kill those people's soulmates.

At first, I had some difficulty to immerse myself in the story but then it got so much fun and interesting to follow the misadventures of the characters. It was funny crazy with some sad moments that could be difficult for some readers (TW: suicide), the part that I didn't really enjoyed in the story.

General Impressions

Oh my god, I loved, loved, loved the premise and this story never disappointed.

If you like your protagonists to be anti-heroes with a dark past and unresolved trauma you just hit the motherload, my friend! The only book I can compare to this is Nimona, except with a lot less humour and a bit darker.

If you are looking for a graphic novel with a great, original story and beautiful art, this is it: the writing is beautiful, there's LGBTQ+ representation and diversity of bodies and cultures across the pages. I particularly enjoyed all the word plays involving hearts.

If you are afraid of this being too romantic-centred, be assured that the story takes that into consideration in ways that will please all the ace/aro folks as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Legendary Comics for this DRC.

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

This graphic novel is about the island of Encevor, where people are cursed to wear their hearts outside of their bodies. People are immortal, until they find their soulmate and they will grow old together. Psyche is a heart hunter, she kills other people's soulmates so that they can live forever. When she is tasked to kill the king's soulmate, she finds herself on an unexpected quest.

3,5 stars rounded up! The concept of this graphic novel was so cool! I love stories about soulmates, and this was such a cruel twist on it. The art was beautiful, very detailed and lot's of colour use and it also was quite graphic at times (which I love). I really appreciated the LGBTQ+ characters and the fact that soulmates didn't have to be romantic! It also had some funny metaphors about people "who wear their heart on their sleeve" and "pouring their heart out to someone". Overall a good read that I would definitely recommend to people who love soulmate AU.

3.5/5
I loved the concept of this graphic novel. The idea of there being an island where everyone is cursed and has to wear their hearts outside their bodies is such a fun idea that gives amazing illustrations. I really liked the twists and plot but the characters felt a bit basic to me and it was hard to connect with them. Overall this was a good graphic novel and I would recommend this if you're into it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. this book was alright, but it could have been better. i give it 3/5 stars.

WOW this was SUCH a cool and original concept!! It was a thrill to read something so unique. And the art?? Incredible, I would sit and stare at specific panels for ages. Definitely a graphic novel I would add to my personal collection as well as my library's. My only critique is that I wanted the pacing to span the story a bit farther, but it did a good job regardless.

This graphic novel's lore and storytelling is phenomenal! I really enjoyed the concept of having your heart outside your body and living forever unless you find your soulmate. There are a lot of smaller details that also give the story that extra flavor. The illustrations were gorgeous as well! I highly recommend this read!

The island of Envacor is cursed. Everyone is doomed to wear their heart outside their bodies, and are immortal—unable to die, to change, to have children— until they find their soulmate. Paired soulmates are then turned mortal, freed from the curse, and are able to leave Envacor.
Psyche, our protagonist, is a Heart Hunter. People used to hire Heart Hunters to find their soulmates for the old-fashioned reason, a happily ever after. But times have changed, and people are finding that they might like immortality after all. Heart Hunters are now assassins for people who wish to keep their immortality, people like the King, who has just hired Psyche to find and kill his soulmate. But when Psyche finds Isaac, things don’t go quite to plan...


'The hallmark of a Heart Hunter is a broken heart.'


I loved this graphic novel! It has such an intricate, established world and characters. It explores grief, friendship, and different kinds of love. I adored the casual LGBTQ+ rep, and how many messages it had to tell. You could take away something new from this story every time you pick it up.

This is a fairly short novel, but so much was packed within its pages! I feel like I could talk about this world and it's mechanics for hours. The exploration of soulmates in particular, and how unique each case could be was so interesting.


"...isn't that what a soulmate is for? They're supposed to be the catalyst that changes you into what you're supposed to become."


Each of the main characters were so well developed, with really distinct personalities. Some were more likable than others (Isaac was my favourite- definitely one of the best characters I’ve read this year), but through the slow reveals and exploration of their backstories- which was absolutely heartbreaking, I found I had a soft spot for everyone by the end of the novel.

The art style perfectly matched the vibe of the book, it was bold and vibrant, and emotion was conveyed deftly through the panels.


Actual rating: 4.5 stars


Thank you to Netgalley and Legendary Comics for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Psyche is a troubled young woman, an assassin (Heart Hunter), and trapped with a small kingdom of people on a cursed island. The shifty king wants a man dead, and hires Psyche for the job. The intended victim is called Heart Mender by all but his close friends, and if he and the king bond with their hearts, they will no longer be immortal, and have to leave the island to save their lives. The king will lose his job, and he is willing to pay well to remove obstacles. Psyche has second thoughts....

On this cursed island, people's hearts magically exist and beat outside their bodies. Most are kept in jars and carried (to be under the owner's constant protection).

The theme of this book is love. Represented by living hearts and how people care for, protect, or neglect them. Every clichéd phrase about hearts seems to be included here (to the point of forcing even me to roll my eyes), as the author describes the rules of the curse and the ways humans often fail to appreciate having feelings themselves, much less empathy or sympathy for others.

Some of the characters seem to exist only to criticize and taunt. Are they acting for their own interests or the greater good? Do they understand the greater good?

While graphic novels can be platforms for philosophical speeches and ideals--as some books are--this narrative was extremely heavy-handed and repetitive. The narrative was pretty good, but it stood out so much in sections that the characters were forgotten completely--while the author pontificated--then joined the story again as if the people had been on pause.

Yes, Shakespeare used a similar method, but he also took a moment or two to remind the audience what was happening to the people in the story; softening any commentary, derision, or advice.

One irritant was that the king, professing that he would rather die than be forced to leave the island (which bonding would cause), ignored loud and repeated warnings, and did absolutely nothing to avoid the process. There was no indication from the king why he would do this; no weakening of the will or something else.

There was a Change of Heart well and a monster of Indifference. I was a little disappointed the Spear of Destiny didn't show up. More common phrases to add drama to the story. There were too many. I happily read books of 500 pages, but these sayings gave the story a splash of melodrama instead of edgy adventure/fantasy/horror & philosophy.
(Sometimes over-explaining things is worse than using words nobody knows.) I hope the next novel focuses a bit more on the people than on ideals and intangibles.

The illustrations were either controlled or very loose and a bit abstract, but they conveyed the appropriate moods and supported the story. Although they aren't especially to my taste, I can appreciate the artistry, attention to detail, and staging of scenes. The creativity was excellent, and the use of color to communicate was also very good.

FYI: Gory story and illustrations, LGBTQ, Swearing.

Idea 3 Stars
Story 2 Stars (Very little story existed.)
Narrative 3 Stars
Artistry & Color 4 Stars
Total = 3 Stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this free ebook.

I liked this comic a lot.
We use a lot of phrases like "wearing your heart on your sleeve", or metaphors of having a broken heart, of healing your heart and of having a heart of stone, and we dream of soulmates that we might one day meet.
And "The Heart Hunter" takes all of that and makes it literal.

The whole concept of this story is such a cool idea and the visuals and word play on love, hearts and soulmates work very well with it.

I also loved that the story is very non-chalant about same sex love and that soulmates don't always have to me lovers, but can also be family or deeply connected in other ways.

I loved this graphic novel so much! The art style, the incredible colors and dynamic pages. The characters, the designs, the unique story. It was all a beautiful fairy tale and I adored it. It was such an atmospheric and magical experience.

Thank you NetGally for letting me review this book.

What should I say?

Honestly, I was expecting a lot. I was really intrigued and thought that the concept is interesting.

However, I was left unsatisfied and underwhelmed, VERY, to be exact. Don't get me wrong, the art style is definitely good, I did like it but as for the execution of the story, no.

A very YA book, but definitely something that will appeal to a certain type of fantasy fans.

There are anthropomorphized personifications (for Pratchett fans) that toy with fate/human life and a curse. It is set up like a dark fairy tale in the same style as Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples. I might have liked this more as a teenager, but as an adult reader I feel like it leaned a little too hard into the tropes.

That said, there is some romance, questing, adventure, drama, and exploration of the meaning of "soul mate." There are also LGBTQ+ pairings here in a fantastical, non-judgemental setting.

Content warning: there is suicide in this book.

This is the first graphic novel I’ve reviewed for my blog, but I’ve been a fan of graphic novels for years. Mostly because the format allows for a quick and immersive plot. And this novel was no exception. The plot picks up quickly and stays fast-paced. There were some interesting twists throughout the story as well.

The downside of most graphic novels, I’ve found, is that due to the lighting fast plots that it’s often difficult to connect with the characters. I did have a hard time connecting to the protagonist of this novel at the beginning but I warmed up to her soon after. There is also a fun cast of side characters that I enjoyed getting to meet.

The magic and “lore” of this novel is what drew me to the title. The concept of hearts living outside of the body wasn’t one I’ve seen in a story before, graphic or traditional. The author did a great job of quickly introducing the magic system and developing it as the plot moved along. The world stuck with me long after I was done reading.

The Heart Hunter is a standalone graphic novel by Mickey George. The story could be somewhat graphic or triggering for some readers, but for me the unique plot and world overpowered any gore. The plot is fast paced and exciting,but I did struggle connecting to the protagonist at the beginning of the novel.

I really liked the art style, it was unique and beautiful! I really appreciated the metaphors for all kinds of heart, it totally was one of my favourite parts, The concept of the story was very interesting, I would totally recommend this graphic novel to anyone!

This was fantastic. It follows an interesting 'soulmate' concept where people are born with their hearts outside of their bodies and do not age or die until they meet their soulmates. Psyche is a heart hunter who destroys the hearts of the soulmates of her clients and whilst hunting the King's soulmate she falls into an interesting adventure that goes right to the roots of the curse that plagues her island.

I loved that this graphic novel had multiple definitions of what a soulmate had to be. Not all of the bonds were romantic and platonic soulmate bonds were just as relevant. I also loved how gay this was in such a matter-of-fact way, it was never really commented on, it was just how it was. I loved all of the characters although I sort of feel Marius got of far too easy in the end.

The artwork was fabulous and suited the style of the story perfectly. I loved the dialogue, particularly Isaac's. The world-building was extensive and thorough but didn't feel like an info dump and was fascinating. This was also a lot darker than I anticipated, some of the plot points were truly dark and twisty and heartbreaking but were covered beautifully. There is a line of dialogue from Isaac speaking about his first soulmate that is absolutely gorgeous and heart-wrenching.

This is the second graphic novel I've read in the span of two days and both have been excellent, I'm pumped about it honestly. I really enjoyed this.

Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc of this book.

An amazingly imaginative and thought provoking comic. The premise is unique and feels like a remastered classic from ancient Greece. All the play on language expressions linked to the heart are well done, make sense and create a truly fascinating world. The main character Psyche (definitely a classical reference here) is not particularly likable, but we understand her and the cast of supporting characters are great. I wanted to read the comic as soon as I heard about the idea of a world where people are cursed to live forever with their heart outside of their bodies until they meet their soulmate. This was fantasy I could only love and was not disappointed. The drawings are very expressive and serve the story well, I would have loved a little more subtle colours. I think with a less vivid palette or some kind of filter to evoke more emotions it would have had even more impact, but that is just my personal taste - I am a sucker for pretty mood evoking colours. I truly recommend this to people who enjoy adventure fantasy, the Sandman and other great comic works.

An interesting concept with heavily-illustrated, vibrant pages. Teens are going to eat up The Heart Hunter!

A curse in Envecor has doomed its residents to stay on the island and be immortal until they find their soulmate. The king, however, sends out Heart Hunters to kill his soulmates so that he can live forever. The story follows Psyche, a Heart Hunter, and Isaac, the king’s soulmate.

This art style is so unique and not something I normally see in graphic novels. This graphic novel has a great balance of storytelling through both the words and the art. Additionally, there is such a beautiful exploration of platonic love, as well as romantic love. I highly recommend to graphic novel lovers!

A big thank you to Netgalley and Legendary Comics for the ARC!

TW: gore, death, suicide

"Love is only mortal. It's human. In becoming deathless, we have outgrown our own humanity."

The Heart Hunter is a visually compelling graphic novel following Psyche, a heart-hunter who specializes in killing soulmates in a world where immortality can be achieved through that means. When the king sends her to murder his soulmate, Psyche finds herself an unexpected friend and ally in her supposed victim. Together, they set on a journey to defy the curse, with Psyche learning how to mend her broken heart along the way.

I thought the overall premise was an intriguing concept. The idea of soulmates is popular in fiction but it is the way that The Heart Hunter expands upon it that sets it apart from the trope. George explores the wider ramifications of having the soulmates system in place, providing depth to worldbuilding that only makes the story more fascinating to read. I also thought the manifestation of intangible concepts such as 'indifference' or 'twist of fate' into perceivable elements in the story was a very clever decision.

Both the art and the narrative was absolutely stellar. The art style is expressive and bold, narrated through a diverse cast with strikingly distinct personalities. The art translates each characters' idiosyncrasies endearingly. Gagnon and George do not let the amusing interactions and relationships between different characters distract from the gravity of the message the story conveys. The graphic novel handles dark and gritty topics, like the loss of a loved one or suicide, with graceful tenderness. It is, in the end, a hopeful story even with the multitude of suffering, approached with great compassion and love.

The only real problem I had with this graphic novel is that sometimes the lore and the worldbuilding got too overwhelming. I understand the writers' intention of trying to create a rich plot within the confines of a limited amount of panels, but at times, I found myself lacking behind from the sheer amount of information.

Overall, this was still an excellent read. I strongly urge anyone who enjoys a good subversion of the soulmate AU to give this graphic novel a chance.